Heaven & Earth (1993)

The third and final film in Oliver Stone’s Vietnam trilogy, Heaven & Earth (1993) is pieced together from two autographical accounts of individuals affected by the horrors of the Vietnam War. Beginning in the village of Ky La, the war drama follows Le Ly (Hiep Thi Le), an innocent peasant girl working the rice paddies with her mother (Joan Chen) while being lectured and educated by her father (Haing S. Ngor). When the peace of the village is broken by the frightening warfare led by the American-backed South Vietnamese, Le Ly becomes a victim of the bloody invasion. Barely surviving the inhuman behavior of the troops, the beaten down woman flees her hometown to live a life of prostitution. During her time as a hooker, Le Ly meets Steve Butler (Tommy Lee Jones), an American soldier looking for love, not sex. When the odd couple becomes husband and wife, the peasant prostitute has a difficult time dealing with life in the United States, especially under the judgmental glare of the post-war 1970s. At the same time, Steve has trouble dealing with the memories of war, leading to morose marriage and a challenging life of regrets and anger. War is ugly, but boobs are lovely. Hiep doesn’t show her rice paddy, but she allows us a look at her wet and dirty deeds in a less than sexy scene. Her precious perky pals will help perk up your penis!